Champions League Shocks: Chelsea Thrash Barcelona Leverkusen Upset Man City

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Chelsea lit up Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night with a commanding 3-0 victory over Barcelona in UEFA Champions League Matchday 5, while Bayer Leverkusen stunned Manchester City on their home turf in one of the round’s biggest surprises.

At Stamford Bridge, the spotlight was on teenage prodigies Estevao and Lamine Yamal, but it was Chelsea’s 18-year-old star who stole the show. Ten minutes into the second half, he weaved between two defenders before unleashing a powerful strike into the roof of Joan Garcia’s net, marking his tenth goal of an impressive debut season for club and country.

Barcelona, already a goal down and reduced to ten men, were left with little hope. Chelsea wrapped up the victory when Liam Delap tapped in from close range in the 73rd minute, following a VAR overturn of an initial offside call, sending Stamford Bridge into raptures.

Chelsea had threatened long before the breakthrough, with Enzo Fernandez twice seeing his goals ruled out and Pedro Neto firing over from a promising position. Their persistence paid off in the 27th minute when a short-corner routine caused chaos in the Barca box, culminating in Jules Kounde deflecting the ball into his own net.

Barcelona’s woes intensified just before halftime when captain Ronald Araujo received a second yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Marc Cucurella, leaving the five-time champions unable to mount any meaningful comeback. Chelsea’s third win in five European outings keeps them firmly in contention for a top-eight finish, securing a potential place in the last 16.

Meanwhile, Manchester City suffered a humbling 2-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium at the hands of Bayer Leverkusen. Pep Guardiola’s decision to rotate heavily backfired, with key players such as Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and Gianluigi Donnarumma left on the bench.

Leverkusen capitalized on the weakened lineup, opening the scoring through Alex Grimaldo midway through the first half after City’s defence failed to close him down. Despite dominating possession, City struggled to create clear-cut chances. Substitutions at halftime, including Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku, failed to change the course of the match.

Leverkusen doubled their lead in the 54th minute when Patrik Schick powered a header past Nathan Ake from an Ibrahim Maza cross. Even Haaland, introduced late, could not salvage the match. The defeat marked City’s first home group-stage loss in the Champions League since 2018, ending a 24-match unbeaten run, and comes amid consecutive defeats following a Premier League setback at Newcastle.

Other Tuesday Champions League Results (Matchday 5):